Profile Text
Birth Name: Charles J. Winninger
Date of Birth: May 26, 1884
Place of Birth: Athens, Wisconsin, U.S.
Date of Death: January 27, 1969
Place of Death: Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Ethnicity: Austrian
Charles Winninger was an American stage and film actor. He was known for his comedic and musical roles. His films included The Canadian (1926), God’s Gift to Women , Show Boat , White Fang (1936), Three Smart Girls , and its sequels; Ziegfeld Girl , State Fair (1945), Lover Come Back , Living in a Big Way , Something in the Wind , The Inside Story , Give My Regards to Broadway (1948), and The Sun Shines Bright .
Charles was the son of Rosalia “Rosa”/Rose (Grassler) and Franz/Frank Winninger. His parents were Austrian immigrants who worked in showbusiness, with his father being a violinist. Charles was married to screenwriter, television writer, and novelist Gertrude Walker, until his death. Charles’ great-great-nephew was screenwriter Kurt Johnstad . Charles’ brother, Josef Charles “Joseph” Winninger, was Kurt’s maternal great-grandfather.
Sources: Charles Winninger on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org Charles Winninger on the 1905 Wisconsin State Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Charles’s parents on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org